Today, with the rising awareness that we need to become more environmentally conscious, our society has become obsessed with the word, "green"--green clothing, green buildings, green energy, and anything else with "green" in the name. "The Green Stamp" has become the latest, greatest fashion label of our time. It has become a quick an easy way for retailers and large corporations to make a profit, and people are purchasing and granting awards to whatever creation provides eco-effective results without paying attention to the process in which these discoveries are produced. Because of this, many designs that are sold to consumers only maintain the appearance of eco-efficiency without doing any real good for the environment. While products "save" energy or reduce emissions when in the possession of consumers, their production processes and disposal processes are generally quite harmful to the environment.
One of the most recent examples of this "matrix" problem is the hybrid car. It is quickly becoming a popular and widely-owned vehicle made by most of the major automotive companies including Toyota, Honda, Ford and many others. Consumers are quick to purchase hybrid vehicles in an effort to support energy efficiency and a decrease in the harmful emissions released by automobiles. Just between 2003 and 2007, the number of hybrid vehicles sold in the United States jumped from around 47,500 to an estimated 410,000 vehicles [USA TODAY, 2004]. In 2009, the sale of hybrid cars increased dramatically around the globe. The Toyota Prius was the top seller in Japan and hybrids increased in market share within the United States despite the decline of the market--increased by the rise compared to 2008 by 42% [hybridCARS, 2010]. These consumers believe that by owning a Prius or any other hybrid vehicle, they will help the environment and create a more sustainable society while saving money on gasoline. Research conducted by Lave and MacLean showed that the fuel economy and decline in emissions of the Prius did not make up for the price of the vehicle [Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 2002]. Other similar research papers also supported this data. However, they are completely deluded since it is exactly the opposite. While hybrid vehicles do cut down on emissions when in use, they use more energy and release more emissions while being manufactured than they save.
In addition, their batteries are made from entirely unsustainable materials. So by "reducing" the amount of fossil fuel used to run hybrid vehicles, automotive companies are only trading off by exploiting some other resource--lithium. Already, automotive companies are experiencing the lack of resources available for meeting the demand for hybrid vehicles. Most companies are currently using nickel-metal hydride batteries but are looking into the use of lithium ion batteries for hybrid vehicles because of the lack of supply. One of the largest sources of lithium can be found at the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, which is home to over half the world's lithium. Mitsubishi has conducted research on the rate of usage for lithium versus the supply of lithium and estimated that there will be an extreme shortage of it by 2015 [BBC News, 2008]. Similarly to fossil fuels and every other source of energy, there is a finite amount of this resource. The fact that hybrid vehicles have been given "The Green Stamp" blinds consumers to the bigger problem--the need to reduce consumption as opposed to displacing it by turning to alternative modes of transportation such as public transit.
The same "matrix" issue is found in CFL bulbs or compact fluorescent light bulbs. They are supposedly the latest, greatest in "green" lighting fixtures. With the sale of approximately 330,000,000 bulbs per year, CFL bulbs are now in use by 11% of compatible sockets. People who only pay attention to the fact that these bulbs consume less energy than most fail to learn that these bulbs contain dangerously high levels of mercury. Since the bulbs are also made from cheap materials, they are highly likely to fail or break [The New York Times, 2009]. This is dangerous and potentially harmful to the environment because of their high likelihood to break and allow the mercury to seep into the ground which then causes birth defects [NPR, 2007]. Again, people need to focus on reducing the use of electricity for lighting, not find alternatives to consuming the same amount of energy. That just displaces consumption not make it more eco-effective.
These two examples of this "matrix" issue highlight how society is too trusting of "The Green Stamp." Without looking into the facts, consumers are all too willing to purchase the "greenest" products. To truly help the environment, they need to become away of the entire life-cycle of a product or system not just trust "The Green Stamp" blindly. People need to determine for themselves what products are eco-effective through at least some research. In general, unless the physical quantity of a product or system is decreased, alternative forms do not amount to an increase in "eco-effectiveness." It really only results in the equivalent consumption of another resource.
Eldridge, Earle. "Hybrids may face juice shortage." USA TODAY. 20 Mar. 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2004. <http://www.usatoday.com/ money/autos/2004-11-21-hybrid-batteries_x.htm>.
Georgios Fontaras , Panayotis Pistikopoulos and Zissis Samaras. "Experimental evaluation of hybrid vehicle fuel economy and pollutant emissions over real-world simulation driving cycles." Atmospheric Environment 42.18 (2008): 4023-4035. Web. 20 Mar. 2010.
Hyundo Choi and Inha Oh. "Analysis of product efficiency of hybrid vehicles and promotion policies." Energy Policy 38.5 (2010): 2262-2271. Web. 20 Mar. 2010.
Kahya, Damian. "Bolivia holds key to electric car future." BBC News. 20 Mar. 2010. Web. 9 Nov. 2008. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/ 2/hi/7707847.stm>.
Lester B. Lave and Heather L. MacLean. "An environmental-economic evaluation of hybrid electric vehicles: Toyota's Prius vs. its conventional combustion engine Corolla." Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 7.2 (2002): 155-162. Web. 20 Mar. 2010.
Peter de Haan, Anja Peters and Roland W. Scholz. "Reducing energy consumption in road transport through hybrid vehicles: investigation of rebound effects, and possible effects of tax rebates." Journal of Cleaner Production 11-12.15 (2007): 1076-1084. Web. 20 Mar. 2010.
Peter de Haan, Michael G. Mueller and Anja Peters. "Does the hybrid Toyota Prius lead to rebound effects? Analysis of the size and number of cars previously owned by Swiss Prius buyers." Ecological Economics 58.3 (2006): 592-605. Web. 20 Mar. 2010.
Vestel, Leora Broydo. "Do New Bulbs Save Energy if They Don’t Work?" The New York Times. 20 Mar. 2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2009. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7707847.stm>.
"The Green Stamp"
The Latest, Greatest Fashion Label
Today, with the rising awareness that we need to become more environmentally conscious, our society has become obsessed with the word, "green"--green clothing, green buildings, green energy, and anything else with "green" in the name. "The Green Stamp" has become the latest, greatest fashion label of our time. It has become a quick an easy way for retailers and large corporations to make a profit, and people are purchasing and granting awards to whatever creation provides eco-effective results without paying attention to the process in which these discoveries are produced. Because of this, many designs that are sold to consumers only maintain the appearance of eco-efficiency without doing any real good for the environment. While products "save" energy or reduce emissions when in the possession of consumers, their production processes and disposal processes are generally quite harmful to the environment.
Figure 1. Lithium Salt Fields at Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia
(http://themissingparagraph.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/dscn6805.jpg)
One of the most recent examples of this "matrix" problem is the hybrid car. It is quickly becoming a popular and widely-owned vehicle made by most of the major automotive companies including Toyota, Honda, Ford and many others. Consumers are quick to purchase hybrid vehicles in an effort to support energy efficiency and a decrease in the harmful emissions released by automobiles. Just between 2003 and 2007, the number of hybrid vehicles sold in the United States jumped from around 47,500 to an estimated 410,000 vehicles [USA TODAY, 2004]. In 2009, the sale of hybrid cars increased dramatically around the globe. The Toyota Prius was the top seller in Japan and hybrids increased in market share within the United States despite the decline of the market--increased by the rise compared to 2008 by 42% [hybridCARS, 2010]. These consumers believe that by owning a Prius or any other hybrid vehicle, they will help the environment and create a more sustainable society while saving money on gasoline. Research conducted by Lave and MacLean showed that the fuel economy and decline in emissions of the Prius did not make up for the price of the vehicle [Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 2002]. Other similar research papers also supported this data. However, they are completely deluded since it is exactly the opposite. While hybrid vehicles do cut down on emissions when in use, they use more energy and release more emissions while being manufactured than they save.
In addition, their batteries are made from entirely unsustainable materials. So by "reducing" the amount of fossil fuel used to run hybrid vehicles, automotive companies are only trading off by exploiting some other resource--lithium. Already, automotive companies are experiencing the lack of resources available for meeting the demand for hybrid vehicles. Most companies are currently using nickel-metal hydride batteries but are looking into the use of lithium ion batteries for hybrid vehicles because of the lack of supply. One of the largest sources of lithium can be found at the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, which is home to over half the world's lithium. Mitsubishi has conducted research on the rate of usage for lithium versus the supply of lithium and estimated that there will be an extreme shortage of it by 2015 [BBC News, 2008]. Similarly to fossil fuels and every other source of energy, there is a finite amount of this resource. The fact that hybrid vehicles have been given "The Green Stamp" blinds consumers to the bigger problem--the need to reduce consumption as opposed to displacing it by turning to alternative modes of transportation such as public transit.
Figure 2. Broken CFL bulb
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z2d4IxltHJI/SqlzSUTQ0XI/AAAAAAAABnY/K9ZCZQ_gPP8/s400/broken_CFL_bulb-.jpg)
The same "matrix" issue is found in CFL bulbs or compact fluorescent light bulbs. They are supposedly the latest, greatest in "green" lighting fixtures. With the sale of approximately 330,000,000 bulbs per year, CFL bulbs are now in use by 11% of compatible sockets. People who only pay attention to the fact that these bulbs consume less energy than most fail to learn that these bulbs contain dangerously high levels of mercury. Since the bulbs are also made from cheap materials, they are highly likely to fail or break [The New York Times, 2009]. This is dangerous and potentially harmful to the environment because of their high likelihood to break and allow the mercury to seep into the ground which then causes birth defects [NPR, 2007]. Again, people need to focus on reducing the use of electricity for lighting, not find alternatives to consuming the same amount of energy. That just displaces consumption not make it more eco-effective.
These two examples of this "matrix" issue highlight how society is too trusting of "The Green Stamp." Without looking into the facts, consumers are all too willing to purchase the "greenest" products. To truly help the environment, they need to become away of the entire life-cycle of a product or system not just trust "The Green Stamp" blindly. People need to determine for themselves what products are eco-effective through at least some research. In general, unless the physical quantity of a product or system is decreased, alternative forms do not amount to an increase in "eco-effectiveness." It really only results in the equivalent consumption of another resource.
REFERENCES
"2009 Was Breakthrough Year for Global Hybrid Car Sales." hybridCARS. 20 Mar. 2010. Web. 10 Jan. 2010. <http://www.hybridcars.com/news/2009-was-breakthrough-year-global-hybrid-car-sales-26419.html>.
Eldridge, Earle. "Hybrids may face juice shortage." USA TODAY. 20 Mar. 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2004. <http://www.usatoday.com/ money/autos/2004-11-21-hybrid-batteries_x.htm>.
Georgios Fontaras , Panayotis Pistikopoulos and Zissis Samaras. "Experimental evaluation of hybrid vehicle fuel economy and pollutant emissions over real-world simulation driving cycles." Atmospheric Environment 42.18 (2008): 4023-4035. Web. 20 Mar. 2010.
Hyundo Choi and Inha Oh. "Analysis of product efficiency of hybrid vehicles and promotion policies." Energy Policy 38.5 (2010): 2262-2271. Web. 20 Mar. 2010.
Kahya, Damian. "Bolivia holds key to electric car future." BBC News. 20 Mar. 2010. Web. 9 Nov. 2008. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/ 2/hi/7707847.stm>.
Lester B. Lave and Heather L. MacLean. "An environmental-economic evaluation of hybrid electric vehicles: Toyota's Prius vs. its conventional combustion engine Corolla." Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 7.2 (2002): 155-162. Web. 20 Mar. 2010.
Peter de Haan, Anja Peters and Roland W. Scholz. "Reducing energy consumption in road transport through hybrid vehicles: investigation of rebound effects, and possible effects of tax rebates." Journal of Cleaner Production 11-12.15 (2007): 1076-1084. Web. 20 Mar. 2010.
Peter de Haan, Michael G. Mueller and Anja Peters. "Does the hybrid Toyota Prius lead to rebound effects? Analysis of the size and number of cars previously owned by Swiss Prius buyers." Ecological Economics 58.3 (2006): 592-605. Web. 20 Mar. 2010.
Shogren, Elizabeth. "CFL Bulbs Have One Hitch: Toxic Mercury." npr. 20 Mar. 2010. Web. 15 Feb. 2007. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7431198>.
Vestel, Leora Broydo. "Do New Bulbs Save Energy if They Don’t Work?" The New York Times. 20 Mar. 2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2009. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7707847.stm>.